Psg Vs Metz: PSG reclaim Ligue 1 lead as Lens capitulate at home
Paris Saint-Germain defeated Metz 3-0 at the Parc des Princes in a weekend that saw Lens fall 3-2 to Monaco, allowing PSG to move back to the top of the Ligue 1 table. The psg vs metz result matters because it handed PSG a two-point cushion with 11 games remaining and came as Enrique’s side balanced domestic priorities with a midweek Champions League tie.
Psg Vs Metz at the Parc des Princes
PSG made short work of the division's bottom club. Desire Doue opened the scoring inside three minutes, racing through from halfway after a pass over the top from Warren Zaire-Emery. Bradley Barcola doubled the lead in first-half stoppage time, finishing from practically on the line after Metz goalkeeper Jonathan Fischer had kept out a Lucas Hernandez header at a corner. Goncalo Ramos wrapped up the 3-0 win inside the final quarter of an hour with an emphatic finish; it was Ramos’s 11th goal of the campaign.
Doue had been drafted into the starting XI after previously being introduced off the bench for the injured Ousmane Dembélé and after scoring twice in PSG’s 3-2 midweek victory away to Monaco in the first leg of their Champions League knockout phase play-off tie. Luis Enrique rested several key players for the Metz match and left Dembélé out entirely as PSG prepare for the second leg against Monaco this coming Wednesday.
Lens collapse at Stade Bollaert-Delelis
Earlier on the same day Lens, who had begun the day one point clear of PSG, surrendered a 2-0 second-half lead and suffered a 3-2 home defeat to Monaco. Odsonne Edouard opened for the hosts after three minutes from an Adrien Thomasson lay-off, and Florian Thauvin doubled the advantage on 56 minutes as Lens chased a club-record 11th successive home league win.
Monaco mounted a sudden comeback: Folarin Balogun pulled one back just after the hour mark, registering his 11th goal of the season in all competitions, then Denis Zakaria equalised and substitute Ansu Fati struck the winner. Monaco produced three second-half goals in the space of 11 minutes to complete the turnaround, and Lens suffered their first home loss since August despite having entered the weekend with the league’s best defensive record.
Lens coach Pierre Sage described the outcome as “stupid, ” adding that the team were very disappointed but must not play the victim and should use the experience to grow.
Matchday 23 context: three fixtures shaping the table
Saturday’s slate comprised three Ligue 1 fixtures that reshaped the standings. PSG’s home game with Metz was one of them; Lens hosted Monaco at Stade Bollaert-Delelis in another; Toulouse met Paris FC at the Stadium de Toulouse. The schedule was part of matchday 23 of the campaign.
Lens had been lifted back into first by a 5-0 thumping of Paris FC, moving a point above PSG heading into the weekend. Monaco arrived at the Bollaert-Delelis contest in eighth place after a 3-1 win over Nantes. Toulouse, 10th after a 2-1 defeat at Le Havre the previous Sunday, faced a Paris FC side ranked 15th after that 5-0 loss at home to Lens. Metz remained dead last following a 3-1 home defeat to Auxerre, while PSG had slipped to second after a 3-1 loss at Rennes prior to their win over Metz.
Table implications and remaining schedule
The immediate effect of the weekend’s results is straightforward: PSG sit two points clear of Lens with 11 games remaining. Lyon in third can move to within six points of the table-toppers if they win away at Strasbourg on Sunday. The timing matters because PSG’s rotation choices and upcoming Champions League second leg could influence how the title race unfolds across those final 11 fixtures.
Rotation, momentum and the Champions League tie
Luis Enrique acknowledged Lens’s strong season while stressing PSG must still improve if they want to retain the title, telling broadcaster Ligue 1+ that there are 11 games left and work remains. PSG’s management of minutes was visible in the selection against Metz: several key players were rested and Dembélé did not feature as the club turned its attention to the midweek European return leg. Pre-match expectations had suggested PSG would deliver a comfortable victory even when juggling continental commitments, and the 3-0 scoreline in Paris underlined that forecast on the day.
The weekend combined decisive individual moments — early goals from Doue and Edouard, Balogun’s milestone 11th strike of the season — with wider shifts in momentum that left PSG two points clear and Lens reflecting on a costly collapse at home.
